Discussion Board

I've been noticing how empty my fridge is lately. Everything I eat is in the freezer (frozen veggies, cherries, hash browns), in the cupboards (rice, oats, cans of beans, tomatoes, pineapple) or on the counter in a basket (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas). Sometimes there's nothing in the fridge except for a couple apples and half a bottle of sparkling water. A person looking in my fridge would never believe I actually cook for myself and eat nearly every meal at home. Just one of the oddities of this WOE.

Saw Longevity Soup recipe on JeffN's Facebook page so I made it for the first time. It was really tasty! Can't believe I've never made it until now. I used this mix, just what was on hand:
1 large can no-salt whole plum tomatoes, chopped up with a stick blender
1 can water
greens: frozen collards
other veggies: broccoli/cauliflower mix, corn, santa fe mix (broccoli, corn, peppers, black beans)
garlic powder
Mrs Dash table blend
salt, pepper

I liked the fact that it barely had any beans in it, so it was a bit less filling. Just tasty veggie soup!

I used some salt but to make it really McDougall you'd want to leave it out. The other spices were probably enough any way.

I'm annoyed my store quit carrying my favorite no-salt tomatoes, the "petite cut" kind. But since using the stick blender to chop up the whole tomatoes worked so well, I realized I can just buy whatever they have and chop them up with it.

Tried a variation on the no-knead bread today. It was the easiest yet, and has a really nice fluffy texture. I cut the recipe in thirds, thus making just enough for one loaf, let it rise once in the pan and baked it. Came out fine! This saves the trouble of waiting overnight and aging the dough in the fridge. Plus, I am just not too fond of the aged flavor and the slightly grey-ish color that develops.

1/2 T yeast
1/2 T salt
1 C warm water
2 1/4 C flour, of that about 1/3 was ww, the rest all-purpose unbleached.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, put the dough into it in, cover and wait a couple hours, bake at 450F for 25 minutes, then at 500F for 5 minutes more.

The only odd thing about it was the loaf was pretty short, but as I'm using this as a side dish rather than a sandwich bread it's fine with me. Yummy!

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Well I had an off-plan meal this week (Arby's drive-thru) and consumed a small chocolate ring cake plus a couple cupcakes, plus some movie popcorn and a non-diet Coke. What can I say, it was my birthday, I was on vacation for a week, the kitchen was unusable for a day due to plumbing work, and the cupcakes were an Easter gift. I'm just going to consider it a feast week and move on.

On the plus side, my coffee consumption was lower than normal, and no Easter candy or movie candy made its way into the house (or my tummy).

I made the bread plus some lentil stew to get myself back into the groove with real food.

My stress level got near "overwhelm" level recently and my diet reflects it. I am still doing well with reduced restaurant lunches, but have been indulging in the free office junk, off-plan stuff at the fiance's house, and even vending machine office junk.

I made a grocery store trip and stocked up. Made sure to include the more indulgent on-plan food-- sparkling water, hash browns, frozen cherries, ww pasta, and fresh apples. I think when my options get down to just whole food starch and veggies, I'm more likely to rebel.

Had a 100% on plan day yesterday and aiming for another today. I have a social event Sunday afternoon where someone typically brings cookies, pastries, or chips, and by break time I'm normally really hungry so it's hard to ignore them even if I take some fruit with me. I'll try eating a full lunch beforehand plus taking my fruit.

Yesterday's food
B: oatmeal, berries
L: hash browns, veggies
S: veggie broth, fruit bowl
D: spaghetti, veggies, homemade ww bread

Decent day today

B: oatmeal, blueberries
L: baked potatoes, veggies
S: apple
D: subway veggie delite (no avo)
S2: salted almonds (free office food)
S3: oatmeal, cherries

I'd quit doing Subway entirely, but today it was a vending-machine prevention strategy. I just didn't have enough food prepped to take to work.

Really fell off the wagon this week I ate so much junk at the office. Bunch of salty fatty awfulness. I even had a fast food dinner, and I'm not talking about Jeff Novick's style of Fast Food

It was the salty stuff that got me-- the more I had, the more I wanted. Now I have to withdraw again.

I think I'd lost a couple pounds from under-eating due to stress, plus I was getting un-creative with my cooking to the point it was really bland and not satisfying. Too many meals of plain rice or pasta or boiled potatoes with plain frozen veggies. When I started bouncing back from the stress I was just voraciously hungry from the under-eating, and not enjoying my meals due to the blandness.

I'm mad at myself, but also kind of at loose ends with the cooking. I'm just pretty tired of my meals. I'm even not loving my oatmeal and cherries, and I've loved that for a year! I need to liven it up and find the inner strength to stop eating the junk.

Well it's been a while. I was doing pretty well with my diet. Holding steady at 120-121. Having a few off-plan meals a week seemed to be a good compromise for me. Being too strict resulted in junk food cravings.

Then I got diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer. How ironic that after the couple years where I ate more fruits and vegetables than ever in my life, I got cancer! Who knows, maybe it would have happened sooner or progressed further if I'd *not* been eating all those lovely real foods. I passed my bone scan today so I am hopeful it is Stage II, still localized to breast and armpit lymph nodes. In that case, then with surgery, chemo, and radiation I will have a good chance of living on and ultimately dying of something other than breast cancer.

I have a PET scan this week and I've been instructed to eat a low-carb diet for the day prior. That's right, I have to eat Atkins style for a day. Meat, hard cheese, and non-starchy veggies only. No fruit, no sugar, not even gum or mints! I have to research to figure out why the heck this is needed, but I'm going to follow instructions.

My best wishes for a good result to your battle.
f1jim

I'm so sorry to read your post. My prayers are with you.

Maybe you can shoot off an email Dr M and ask about the PET scan and other things.


Can I ask how old you are?

My step mom battled triple negative breast cancer. She's about one year out and doing good.

Thank you Jim and Debbie.

Debbie I am 49, and just about to hit menopause. I found the lump by accident. I was immediately sent for diagnostic imaging, and it did not show in the mammogram even though it was pretty large (3 cm) and the type of cancer I have is the most common (IDC and DCIS). My breast tissue is dense, so the mammogram just shows a lot of white. The lump did show on ultrasound, but the radiologist could not identify it based on what he was seeing. Needle biopsy confirmed it was cancer.

That is a tough road for your stepmom. I'm glad she got through the initial treatment. Mine is ER+/PR+. I don't have the HER2 yet.

I am going to call the clinic tomorrow about the dietary instructions. I can't find clear information online. It looks like they use a radioactive glucose solution, so my guess is they want your glucose to be depleted from a day of low carb. I wonder if I can eat nuts and avocado with greens instead of a bunch of meat and cheese. I'm not strict ethical vegan, but eating meat all day sounds a bit gross and inconvenient.

So sorry to hear that. I lost my mom to BC years ago. Things have changed a lot since then.

I will include you in my prayers as well. You will beat this.

Keep eating those fruits, veggies & potatoes.

Thanks Jan. I'm sorry for your mom. Treatment has changed but if I'm not mistaken survival rates for the various stages hasn't improved much in the past 20-30 years. They do find more early stage ones now that are more curable. I'm still learning.

I have already been eating even more huge piles of greens and veggies since this started. Exercise is also a factor that works against recurrence.

Sorry to hear what you are going though. I agree with Debbie that you should email Dr McDougall about your diagnosis and treatment. He has said many times that for breast cancer he recommends a lumpectomy with clear margins. I would ask about the chemo and the radiation. If your cancer has not spread - most of the time DCIS doesn't spread yet it is treated aggressively anyway - then why would you need chemo? As for the radiation there are serious side effects to consider such as brain tumors etc. I would start looking into studies showing the risks vs the benefits for the treatment options. And I would start by asking Dr McD.

Best of luck to you.

Unfortunately I don't have DCIS (Stage 0). I have something that's Stage II, III, or IV. Lumpectomy alone is not an option. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking for advice on cancer treatment over email. I am in good hands with my medical team.